MINNEAPOLIS -- A missing hunter who walked and crawled to safety in subzero temperatures is sharing his story of survival. "I kept saying, 'I can't fall. If I fall I'm going to be in a bind,'" said 72-year-old Dave Quiser.

The retired sheriff's deputy decided to go grouse hunting on Christmas Day north of his home. His truck got stuck on a back road and his family didn't know where he was.

"Lo and behold, a truck pulled up alongside of me, and the guy asked me if I'm alright. I said, 'Hell no I'm not all right [laughs]!'" Quiser said. "They saved my bacon, without a doubt."

A father and son, checking on logging equipment, just happened to see Quiser. They took him to an area hospital. He was then flown to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he is being treated for hypothermia.

Quiser's family knows this could have ended much differently.

"Seeing every day his skin get warmer and his hands getting some color back to them, it's been really special I think to be there with him," said granddaughter Anjelica Avelsgard.

Frostbite will take some of Quiser's fingers, but it won't take his spirit –- or his sense of humor.

Quiser's family wants to thank everyone who searched for him that night and helped him after he was found. They especially want to thank Sheldon and Preston Sokolski, the father and son who found him on the road.